Things to Eat - Beach House Recipes - Egg Cups & Corona Margaritas

When we share a beach house with 7 other families, we go through a lot of food. Especially as the kids get older. To make things easy/efficient, every family chooses a meal (for dinner, one family cooks an "adult" meal and one family cooks for the kids). I love that after our work is done we get to sit back and enjoy a ton of good food (and alcohol).

Here were two of my favorite new recipes from this year's trip (thank you Colleen and Janet!):

BREAKFAST EGG CUPS (Recipe from Spend With Pennies)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey sausage (or pork)
6 large eggs
1 cup egg whites
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown turkey sausage over medium high until no pink remains.
Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide the red pepper, onion, cooked sausage and cheeses over 12 wells.
In a large bowl combine eggs, egg whites and salt & pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture over the sausage in each well.
Bake 22-25 minutes or until set.

CORONA MARGARITAS

Ingredients:

1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
2 (12-ounce) bottles Corona
1/2 cup frozen concentrate limeade, thawed
1/2 cup chilled tequila
Ice cubes

Directions:

1. Cut lime into 8 wedges, rub lime along margarita glasses and dip in salt to rim glass
2. Combine Corona, frozen limeade and tequila in pitcher and stir
3. Add ice to pitcher and serve

Things to Eat - Carolina Shrimp Boil & Our 8 Week Meal Plan (April through May)

In April and May my dinner planning fell apart.

In my defense, work became crazy busy (which is awesome! I have the best clients ever!) and Dan chipped in a lot. Then between soccer and tennis lessons the kids kept us busy every night (plus - piano, flute, cello, the spring concert, the second grade wax museum, various vacations, etc.) Several dinners were "make it work nights."

Anyways, we ended May with our annual Memorial Beach house vacation and Jenny's fantastic shrimp boil. Here's her recipe:

CAROLINA SHRIMP BOIL:

1/3 lb shrimp per person
2-3 dozen crab claws
2-3 dozen fresh clams
2-3 smoked sausages, I use turkey, cut into pieces
1 bag new potatoes
1/2 ear of corn per person
1 package Zatarsns crab and shrimp boil seasoning
Lemon cut into quarters

Boil water in huge pot and add seasoning bag. Add potatoes, boil until soft, add sausage and corn, boil 10 mins, add crab and clams and lemon. Boil until clams pop open. Add shrimp, and boil about 4 mins until they turn pink. Drain pot and dump all on newspaper on a table. Serve with melted butter, lemons and cocktail sauce.
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WEEK 1

MONDAY - Taylor Gourmet.

TUESDAY - Taco Tuesday - ground beef tacos.

WEDNESDAY - Zuni chicken (via Gwyneth's It's All Easy). This is our new favorite chicken recipe - so so good.

THURSDAY - Black bean bowls with rice, cheese, and homemade chipotle salsa (I'm still a salsa snob).

FRIDAY - Family dinner at Atila's.

SATURDAY - Road trip to Richmond with the kids - dinner at Burger Bach.

SUNDAY - Dinner at Sandbridge beach with friends.
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WEEK 2 - Spring Break

MONDAY - Dinner at Kala Coleman's photography workshop (in NC).

TUESDAY - Dinner at Kala Coleman's photography workshop (in NC).

WEDNESDAY - Dinner at Sandbridge beach - Baja restaurant, which was surprisingly good.

THURSDAY - Dinner at the beach house - our friends make us pasta. yay!

FRIDAY - Dinner at the beach house - our friends make us fajitas. yay!

SATURDAY - Dan welcomes us home with pork chops (so good!), applesauce, salad, etc.

SUNDAY - Pizza with friends.
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WEEK 3

MONDAY - Homemade tabouli with leftovers.

TUESDAY - Pesto pasta with a side of baked asparagus.

WEDNESDAY - Chipotle (preschool fundraiser).

THURSDAY - Dinner out with friends.

FRIDAY - Grab a quick salad before Fun House (the play) with Dan.

SATURDAY - Dan bakes chicken.

SUNDAY - Neighbors' BBQ.

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WEEK 4

MONDAY - Black bean bowls with red salad (salad recipe via The Forest Feast). The kids love this salad, it's sort of a pain to collect the ingredients but preparation is easy.

TUESDAY - Dan makes chicken and potatoes with asparagus.

WEDNESDAY - Family dinner out at Marble and Rye.

THURSDAY - Spaghetti.

FRIDAY - Steamed dumplings from Trader Joe's frozen aisle. Lazy lazy mom.

SATURDAY - I photograph a wedding (and eat there), Dan takes the kids to a block party.

SUNDAY - I take engagement photos, Dan makes pork chops and salad.

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WEEK 5

MONDAY - Dinner out with a friend. Kids eat pierogies.

TUESDAY - Spinach orzo salad with added italian sausage (via Simple Recipes). This was really good.

WEDNESDAY - One pan faro with tomatoes (via Smitten Kitchen's blog).

THURSDAY - Williamsburg overnight trip with the 4th grade. Dinner at the Golden Coral (so much food, yet none of it tastes good).

FRIDAY - I photograph a wedding, Dan makes dinner (fish tacos). And then our friends host us for Cinquo De Mayo (yay margaritas!)

SATURDAY - Leftovers after Guardians of the Galaxy II (everyone ate too much popcorn and, thus, didn't want much for dinner).

SUNDAY - Friends for dinner(so good to see Jim and Val - in town for a week from Indonesia). Dan makes steak, salad, and green beans.
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WEEK 6

MONDAY - Leftovers and homemade tabouli. As a kid tabouli was my favorite food, I practically lived on it, even through my twenties. Then we sort of took a break for awhile. But now T loves it too, so I've been making it more and more (though T still thinks Lebanese Taverna's version is better than mine).

TUESDAY - I have a photo shoot, Dan makes hot dogs with fries.

WEDNESDAY - Pesto pasta with a side of roasted asparagus.

THURSDAY - Red beans and rice (https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/monday-night-red-beans-rice) before the girls' spring concert. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but this was too spicy and the flavors didn't meld well. Oh well.

FRIDAY - Dinner at a friend's happy hour.

SATURDAY - Lalibela Ethiopian take out for Mother's Day (Yay!!!). This is our new favorite restaurant. I'm addicted.

SUNDAY - I have a photoshoot, Dan makes homemade pizza.
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WEEK 7

MONDAY - Dinner out with a friend, Dan and the kids have leftover pizza.

TUESDAY - Taco Tuesday - simple ground beef tacos.

WEDNESDAY - Camping at Shenandoah River State Park - Dan grills pork chops with baked beans and apple sauce. So good!

THURSDAY - I have a client meeting, Dan grills chicken and burgers.

FRIDAY - Kale, tomato, and lemon magic one-pot spaghetti (via epicurious) w/apple matchstick salad (salad recipe via The Forest Feast). I loved this salad, but the kids hated the pecans (sadness). The spaghetti ended up soggy. (Basically, meal fail).

SATURDAY - Dinner at happy hour.

SUNDAY - Dan makes catfish, mashed potatoes, and peas.
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WEEK 8

MONDAY - Nachos!! I had a nacho craving, so I made huge plates with cucumbers, tomatoes, and black beans, the kids called it my "best meal ever."

TUESDAY - Leftovers from Sunday and "clean out the freezer" for vacation (TJ's risotto, pizza rolls, bagel dogs, etc.).

WEDNESDAY - Family dinner at Busboys & Poets

THURSDAY - Plain pasta with red sauce.

FRIDAY - Dinner in Richmond at my in-law's house.

SATURDAY - Pizza in Nags Head, NC at our crazy crowded beach house.

SUNDAY - Jenny's shrimp boil at the beach house.

Things to Eat - Summer Quinoa Salad & Our Four Week Meal Plan

I basically lived on this salad this summer. Lots of lunches and a few dinners too.

SUMMER QUINOA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 pound cherry tomatoes
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels
* 2 and 1/2 cup steamed kale (or if you don't feel like cooking, just "massage" kale with salt for a few minutes (yes, literally massage it), to break down the leaves a little).
* 3/4 cup cilantro
* 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
* Feta cheese to taste (about 1/2 cup for the entire salad)
* Salt and pepper to taste

DRESSING:
* 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/4 cup buttermilk
* Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the quinoa and water in a pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until it easily fluffs with a fork.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Halve the tomatoes and spread them on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle on a half tablespoon of the olive oil. Mix. And roast for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove to cool.

3. Heat remaining olive oil in a pan. Add the corn and saute, stirring once or twice, for about 2 minutes, until slightly charred on the outside.

4. In a large bowl, combine the kale, quinoa, and cilantro. When the tomatoes and corn cool, add them, along with the pine nuts to the bowl.

5. Mix the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, buttermilk, and some salt to make the dressing.

- slightly adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share (my favorite new cookbook for amazing salads)
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WEEK 1

MONDAY - Dijon chicken and quinoa skillet (via Clean Eating magazine). The skillet was really good, the kids ate it up.

TUESDAY - Taco Tuesday - Ground beef tacos. Boring but easy. Plus, I also made some chipotle salsa (recipe here), which always makes me happy.

WEDNESDAY - Zucchini noodle spaghetti; regular noodles for the kids; with kale chips. Another boring but easy meal. As you can probably tell, it was sort of a boring but easy week (lots of days at the pool).

THURSDAY - Bibimbap bowls (via Clean Eating magazine). F's best friend is half-Korean so F keeps asking me to make more Asian-inspired dishes, which are not in my comfort zone. Luckily, this recipe was SUPER EASY and the kids loved it (rather than prepare the bowls, I put all the separate ingredients on the table, so the kids could pick and choose what they wanted). T only ate the steak and eggs, which P and F mixed everything together (well, except the egg because T ate all of our servings). Dan and the kids asked me to start making this on a regular basis, total success.

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WEEK 2

MONDAY - Quesadillas with leftover smoked pork and chicken from Dan's Sunday feast. So. so. good.

TUESDAY - Chicken sausage and sauerkraut (I'm addicted to Trader Joe's sauerkraut with pickles) with summer quinoa salad (via The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share).

WEDNESDAY - Dinner at a friend's house.

THURSDAY - Bibimbap bowls (via Clean Eating magazine).

FRIDAY - Dinner at a friend's house.

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WEEK 3

MONDAY - Labor Day Happy Hour/ BBQ

TUESDAY - The last meal salad (via The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share) with chicken and tomatoes for the kids. PROBABLY THE BEST SALAD I'VE EVER EATEN. I'm totally in awe of the Sprouted Kitchen right now.

WEDNESDAY - Stromboli with summer quinoa salad. My sister-in-law made stromboli at Smith Mountain Lake, using pillsbury pizza dough, and they were delicious. So we couldn't wait to make our own at home, but I did something majorly wrong, they tasted awful. I'll need to get more info and post a recipe eventually.

THURSDAY - Grilled zucchini salad (via (via The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share) with pasta for the kids. Another great salad from Sprouted Kitchen.

FRIDAY - Vegetable Skillet Lasagna (via Dinner A Love Story:the blog). This was really good and super easy to make, though perhaps a little too cheesy.

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WEEK 4

MONDAY - Kale sausage and white bean stew (for our one autumnish day before the heat returns) (via Dinner: A Love Story: It all begins at the family table). The kids all like this (they like everything from the Dinner: A Love Story cookbook) and the recipe is fast/easy, perfect for Mondays.

TUESDAY - Black bean tacos for taco Tuesday (via Dinner: A Love Story: It all begins at the family table). P was VERY ANGRY that we hadn't taco Tuesdayed in a few weeks, so these made her super happy.

WEDNESDAY - Leftovers; mac and cheese for the kids.

THURSDAY - California quinoa (via via The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share) w/ perogies and green beans for the kids.

FRIDAY - Dan's parents over for dinner so we went with curried chicken with apples (via Dinner: A Love Story: It all begins at the family table) and tomato salad (via The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share) with sauteed zucchini (via 101 Cookbooks).

Things to Make - Roasted Peaches and Cream Popsicles

I'm still on my popsicle making kick, they're just so easy and so good. I wanted to hide these from the children, so I could eat them all myself. But luckily I'm nicer than that (well, sometimes).

ROASTED PEACHES & CREAM POPSICLES (slightly based off of a recipe in People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop, love this cookbook).

Ingredients:
* 4-5 tennis-ball sized peaches, halved
* 2/3 cup cane sugar
* 2/3 cup water
* 1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peaches cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes (until the skins and flesh have softened)
2. Discard the peach pits and blend the peaches.
3. Make simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then let cool. Add 1 cup of the cooled syrup to the peach puree.
4. Pour the puree into popsicle molds until they're about 2/3 full.
5. Pour the cream on top of the puree. Don't worry if you don't use it all.
6. Use the popsicle stick to stir the cream into the popsicles.
7. Freeze.

(Makes approximately 10 popsicles)

Still hungry? Click here and scroll down for more popsicle recipes.

Things to Eat - Shirazi Salad & Our Four Week Meal Plan

Lots of easy recipes now that summer is in full effect. We've tried a few salads from Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & beyond and they've all been good, but I think my favorite is Sharazi Salad, the pomegranate seeds adds a the perfect touch of sweetness.

SHIRAZI SALAD (slightly adapted from Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & beyond)

Ingredients:
* 1 cucumber
* 6 tomatoes, halved and cored
* 1 red onion
* olive oil
* salt
* juice of 1 lemon
* 2 tsp sumac (I bought this on Amazon)
* 7 oz of pomegranate seeds (Trader Joe's sells these in the refrigerated section)

1. Finely dice the cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion.
2. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to moisten.
3. Season with salt and pour in the lemon juice. Mix.
4. Add the sumac and pomegranate seeds on top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or more before serving.

WEEK 1

Monday - Eggplant pasta (via Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals). This was the best pasta sauce I've ever made. Ever. Though the kids ate around the eggplant.

Tuesday - Black bean chilaquile (recipe here). This is one of my favorite recipes ever. The kids never used to like it (too many things mixed together), but this time they all said it was great. Score.

Wednesday - Grilled chicken bruschetta (via Skinny Taste). This was so good and so easy. Definitely a keeper.

Thursday - Taylor Gourmet take-out.

WEEK 2

MONDAY - Turkish white bean salad (via Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & beyond) with grilled chicken breasts. I loved this salad, though everyone else mainly ate the chicken.

TUESDAY - Burrito bowls (via Dinner A Love Story, the blog). These are a fantastic (and easy) way to make everyone happy.

WEDNESDAY - Tomato lentil salad (recipe here); the kids ate (junk) from the snack bar at P's swim meet.

THURSDAY - Pizza for P's birthday party (yes, I know her birthday was in November, but I tend to procrastinate. Plus summer parties are better/easier/more fun).

WEEK 3

MONDAY - Dinner out at Kapnos Tavern; spaghetti for the kids.

TUESDAY - Pizza with kale chips for the kids; Quinoa salad with toasted pistachios, preserved lemons, and zucchinis (via Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & beyond.

WEDNESDAY - Shirazi salad (recipe above); sandwiches for the kids before P's swim meet.

THURSDAY - Tilipia baked clam style (via IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great) with watermelon, peach, tomato salad (recipe here). This was one of the best salads I've ever eaten, as in EVER! I also made a kids' version with just watermelon and peaches. I messed up the fish, but, usually, this is one of our favorite fish recipes. The kids had pasta as they're felling picky lately.


WEEK 4

MONDAY - Shirazi salad again (I love this); spaghetti for the kids

TUESDAY - Easy chickpea/cucumber salad before Peter Pan (recipe here); sandwiches for the kids. This salad is wonderful, I'm making it my new go-to lunch.

WEDNESDAY - Burrito bowls again (via via Dinner A Love Story, the blog). The kids love this meal.

THURSDAY - Chicken breast sauteed in red onion and lemon (recipe here) (thank you Not-So-SAHM for the great suggestions!!) and watermelon/peach/tomato salad again (because it is so good). The chicken was wonderful and kid-friendly, we'll be returning to this recipe a lot.

Things to Eat - Tomato Lentil Mustard Salad & Our Four Week Meal Plan

TOMATO LENTIL MUSTARD SALAD (slightly adapted from IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great)

Ingredients:
* 1 cup lentils (I buy the bag of cooked lentils at Trader Joe's)
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon course seeded mustard
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Sea salt
* 1 small red onion, diced (optional)
* 3 cups halved cherry tomatoes
* 1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley

1. If you are starting with dry lentils, bring a pot of salted water to boil, add lentils, turn heat to medium, and cook about 20 minutes (check to make sure the lentils are cooked through). Then drain the lentils and add them to a large bowl.

2. If you are starting with pre-cooked lentils, add them to a bowl.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustards, lemon juice, olive oil, and vinegar with a pinch (or more) of salt.

4. Add the vinaigrette to the lentils along with the onion, tomato, and parsley.

WEEK 1

MONDAY - Goop's black bean cakes. These were a disaster, the beans and rice caused the vitamix to smoke and stop working (though by the next day, the blender started functioning again). The taste was blah. I burned them. The kids felt so bad for me they tried to be nice, "wow, these are great mom". Then they buried the cake under the salsa and ate about 10 apples each for dessert.

TUESDAY - Nachos - Crazy night, we needed something fast and easy. I added black beans in an effort to make them sort of healthy.

WEDNESDAY - Chicken and zucchini noodle pho (via Goop). Fantastic recipe. Everyone loved it.

THURSDAY - Spaghetti with red sauce, ground turkey, and zucchini noodles (that were leftover from Wednesday's pho); regular pasta for the kids.


WEEK 2

MONDAY - Oven baked romaine with (via Mom Filter) Italian sausage, tomato, cannellini bean ragout and polenta (via Cooking Light). The romaine ended up soggy; I think you really need to grill it to make this work, though the taste was fantastic, just not the texture. The polenta recipe has become a favorite with the kids.

TUESDAY - Bricklayer tacos (via Splendid Table). I messed up the recipe a little bit, but all in all these were fantastic. Beef and bacon - you can't really go wrong.

WEDNESDAY - Blackened tilapia baja fish tacos (via Cooking Light). This is a family classic. We have it whenever we need a sure thing.

THURSDAY - Dinner out


WEEK 3 ("Clean" week, sort of)

MONDAY - Broccoli/arugula soup for me (via Goop) ; hot dogs and edamame for the kids and Dan. After a week at the beach, I need healthy simple food for a few days.

TUESDAY - Chicken breasts and rice marinated with Trader Joe's Soyaki Sauce. Easiest meal ever and T said the chicken was "amazing", which in itself is pretty amazing.

WEDNESDAY - Night out with friends at Mazagan; pasta for the kids

THURSDAY - Cucumber avocado soup for me (via Goop); mac and cheese for the kids. I could live on this soup, it is so easy and tastes surprisingly good.


WEEK 4 (Vegetarian week (almost), not so coincidentally, Dan had to "work late" a lot this week)

MONDAY - Black bean tacos (via Dinner: A Love Story: It all begins at the family table). The kids love this meal, plus it's super easy.

TUESDAY - Middle eastern chickpeas with spinach (via Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals). This is one of my favorite recipes, so I was hoping the kids would like it too. But they asked for hot dogs instead. Oh well, I tried.

WEDNESDAY - Medival Times for T's birthday dinner

THURSDAY - Tomato lentil mustard salad (via IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great); the kids have spaghetti and kale chips.

FRIDAY - Maggie's pasta (recipe here). Every summer I come back to this recipe. Easy and fresh. The kids ate the sausage and orzo, but wouldn't touch the spinach and sundried tomatoes.

Things to Eat - Salsa, Three Ways

Dan's brother doesn't like salsa. ANY SALSA. I'm still not sure how this is possible, as there are so many choices these days. But it makes me sad. He seems like a happy person - two great kids, an awesome wife. But I still think that one could never be truly fulfilled without a salsa of some sort.

Anyways, I love salsa. Here are three of my favorite recipes. I tend to rotate them.



1. ROASTED TOMATO AND CHIPOTLE SALSA

Ingredients:

* 4 tomatoes, cores removed, roughly chopped
* 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 chipotle pepper (or more or less, depending on how hot you want the salsa) from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
* 3 tablespoons cilantro
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* salt

Preparation:

* Preheat the broiler to high, placing the rack near the top of the oven. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and toss, on the sheet, the tomatoes and onions with the olive oil.
* Broil, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes (until the tomatoes have collapsed and the onions have softened).
* Place tomatoes and onions in a food processor with the chipotle, cilantro, and lime juice and puree.
* Season with salt.

(Recipe from IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great)



2. ARCADIA FARM'S SCISSOR SALSA (this one is great for kids to make themselves)

Ingredients:

* Handful of cherry/grape tomatoes
* 2-3 small sweet peppers
* 8 sprigs of cilantro
* 1 ear of corn
* 1/2 onion [optional]
* 1 clove garlic
* juice of one lime
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

* Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers, cut them into long slices.
* Use scissors to cut the tomatoes, cilantro, and onion.
* Remove the corn from the cob with a knife.
* Add the garlic by crushing it in a garlic press or with a mortar and pestle.
* Add the olive oil, salt, and lime juice.
* Mix by crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
* Eat with tortilla chips.

(Adopted from a recipe by the D.C. non-profit, City Blossoms Inc.)



3. CUCUMBER SALSA

Ingredients:

* 2 cups finely diced peeled cucumber
* 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1 jalapeño (with seeds), finely diced
* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Mix first five ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in lime juice and oil. Season to taste with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and more lime juice, if desired.

(Recipe from Great Country Farms and 7Company Weight Loss & Wellness)

Things to Eat - Vignarola (a Roman Stew for Spring) & Our 4 Week Meal Plan

A spring stew sounded amazing to me this month, but then I couldn't find fresh fava beans or artichokes, so I'm not sure spring had much to do with this recipe. Luckily, it still came together pretty well.

Vignarola (a Roman Stew for Spring) - based on this recipe.

Ingredients:

* 2 cans of artichoke hearts
* 1 pound of frozen fava beans, defrosted (you can buy these at Trader Joe's)
* 1/2 package of prosciutto
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 head Romaine lettuce, shredded
* 1 handful of torn mint
* salt and pepper to taste

1. In a skillet large enough to hold all the vegetables, cook the prosciutto in olive oil over medium-low heat. After about 5 minutes, remove it from the pan. Add the canned artichokes and the fava beans. Cook for about 5 minutes

2. Add the lettuce to the pan. If there isn't much liquid in the pan (from the canned artichokes), add about 1/2 a cup of water and stir for 2-4 minutes, until the lettuce has wilted.

3. Remove from heat. Add the prosciutto back to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the mint.

WEEK 1

Monday - Seared flank steak with tomato and blue cheese salad (via Cooking Light). This was fantastic with kids. They ignored the tomatoes and blue cheese (i.e. my favorite part) and ate lots of steak. Lots.

Tuesday - Taco Tuesday (just ground beef tacos and refried beans). F could live on refried beans.

Wednesday - Tomato and lentil salad (via IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great); the kids have spaghetti.

Thursday - Sausage, cannellini bean, and tomato ragout with polenta (via Cooking Light). This was really good. Even the kids liked it.

WEEK 2

Monday - Arugula/tomato quinoa salad (my recipe, click here for similar formula, just substitute the cucumbers for arugula). The kids ate hot dogs and kale chips.

Tuesday - Arroz con pollo (Dinner: A Love Story cookbook). Everyone loves this; it has become one of our regular dishes.

Wednesday - Grilled polenta with tomatoes and white beans (via Cooking Light) with chicken sausage on the side. F keeps asking for polenta almost every night, so I'm trying to find variations. This looked perfect for spring. The kids didn't eat much of the tomato mixture, but loved the sausage and polenta.

Thursday - Chickpea and kale shakshouka (via Clean Eating magazine). I'm making this a lot lately. The kids don't love it, so I made them a pizza.

WEEK 3

Monday - Leftovers from Sunday night (lamb chops and risotto from Date Night In: More than 120 Recipes to Nourish Your Relationship, my newest cookbook obsession.)

Tuesday - Taco Tuesday (Goop's zucchini tacos for me; ground beef and refried beans for Dan and the kids).

Wednesday - Arugula/tomato/quinoa salad (based loosely on this recipe) with hamburgers/hotdogs on the grill (Dan's home early!! Yay!!!)

Thursday - Leftovers again (Dan barbequed A LOT of meat on Wednesday)

WEEK 4

Monday - Frozen pizza because I felt super lazy.

Tuesday - Chicken tinga tacos for Cinquo De Mayo (via The Splendid Table). Personally, I thought these were a little overrated considering the recipe was somewhat complicated, but Dan thought the tacos tasted great. And the kids liked them well enough.

Wednesday - Vignarola (a Roman Stew for Spring) (via Food 52). So this was SO YUMMY!! I could almost live on it. But the kids called the dish "bitter" and just picked at their plates (I blame the artichokes). Luckily, I defrosted plenty of edamame and bread as an "appetizer", which seemed to fill them up.

Thursday - Chicken with bacon and brussels sprouts (via Dinner: A Love Story). Dan loves this. The girls love this. Even T ate most of his chicken. A sure thing.

Things to Make - Strawberry Thyme Lemonade

Usually we're a water or milk sort of family. Creative children's drinks are not my specialty. But the other day, F decided she wanted to make lemonade using real lemons and once we spent $4 on the lemons alone, it seemed necessary to kick the whole drink up a notch. Of course, strawberry thyme lemonade ended up tasting absolutely delicious and we've all become addicted. So now I have to go to the store every few days to buy more lemons and strawberries, which has made quite an impact on our weekly grocery bill. I often find myself yelling, "DON'T SPILL A DROP, THIS STUFF IS LIQUID GOLD." But it tastes oh so good.

FOR THE LEMONADE:
8 squeezed lemons (about 1 cup)
2 cups strawberries (one quart); hulls removed and cut in half
5 cups water and about 2 cups ice (to taste)

FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
10-12 sprigs thyme

OPTIONAL FOR ADULTS
Vodka (to taste)

1. Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar, water, and thyme in a small pot and heating until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and throw away the thyme.

2. Place the lemon juice, strawberries, and simple syrup in a large pitcher.

3. Add 4-6 cups of water to the pitcher (depending on size of pitcher).

4. Blend slightly (so the strawberries are still mushy, but somewhat dissolved).

5. Add ice and drink (preferably in "fancy" glasses).

Things to Eat - Chickpea & Kale Shakshouka & 4 Week Meal Plan

For the last few weeks I've become rather addicted to the Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook - the recipes are super easy and the kids (so far) have loved them all (even ones I would have bet money on them hating). Plus, I keep returning to Gwyneth's cookbook - IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great.

CHICKPEA AND KALE SHAKSHOUKA (from Clean Eating magazine):

Ingredients:
* 1 tsp olive oil
* 1 yellow onion
* 4 cloves garlic
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp ground coriander
* 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
* 1 can chickpeas
* 2 cups canned, jarred, or boxed tomatoes
* 1 large bunch kale
* 4 eggs
* 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.
3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and 1/5 cups water and bring to a simmer.
4. Add kale, a few handfuls at a time until kale wilts. When all kale has been added, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat. With the back of a spoon, create 4 shallow indentations in a the veggie mixture. Crack the eggs and slide them into the indentations.
6. Sprinkle cheese over the eggs and veggies.
7. Transfer to the oven and cook until the eggs are set, 8 to 10 minutes

4 WEEK MEAL PLAN:

WEEK 1:

MONDAY - Arroz Con Pollo (from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook ). New recipe and a huge hit. The whole family loved this.

TUESDAY - Taco night - Ground beef and refried beans. Not very exciting, but the kids love Taco Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY - Kale sausage and white bean stew (from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook). This seemed like an iffy choice, but the the kids really liked this (well, except T, who rarely eats anything). So good.

THURSDAY - Our friends have us over for dinner (yum).
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WEEK 2:

MONDAY - Lamb sliders with yogurt sauce (from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook). The kids really enjoyed this meal, but Dan said, "let's stick with ground beef." Ground lamb does sort of stink up a kitchen.

TUESDAY - Fish tacos (from IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great). These were good, but I used cod, which was much trickier to cook then tilipia (my staple). I also made Gwyneth's chipotle salsa, which I can't stop eating.

WEDNESDAY - Black bean burritos (from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook). I was too lazy to wrap the burritos so we ate them as tacos. Both the girls asked if we could eat these every night.

THURSDAY - I went out to eat with friends. The kids had mac and cheese from a box. Dan fended for himself.
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WEEK 3:

MONDAY - Brown rice with corn, black beans, and canned tomatoes (with chiles). Now that soccer season has started I need something super easy on Monday night. And this was super easy. Not exactly exciting, but nobody complained.

TUESDAY - Chicken with bacon & brussels sprouts (from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook). Huge hit. Not a bite left over.

WEDNESDAY - Tilipia "baked clam" style (from IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great). This is a family classic. Everyone likes it. The breadcrumbs make plain fish feel "special" somehow.

THURSDAY - Ethiopian restaurant for dinner (F insisted).
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WEEK 4: SPRING BREAK - (i.e. eat out all the time and gain a ton of weight)
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WEEK 5:

MONDAY - Tomato and lentil salad (from IT'S ALL GOOD: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great). (with mac and cheese for the kids (from a box) and edamame). I love this salad, plus it refrigerates well for lunch the next day.

TUESDAY - Date night (Mazagan for dinner).

WEDNESDAY - Curried chicken (from Dinner: A Love Story Cookbook). The kids asked if we could have this every night, even T ate a platefull (granted, a very small plate).

THURSDAY - Chickpea and Kale Shakshouka (from Clean Eating magazine) (with edamame and chicken nuggets for the kids). So this was good. Really good. And the eggs made it easier to determine an exact serving size. I think I'll start making this dish on a regular basis, probably even ask the kids to try some next time.